מִשְׁקֶ֫לֶת (mish.qe.let)
mish.qe.let
level
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun mishqeleth refers to a leveling instrument, such as a carpenter’s level or a plummet line used to ensure vertical accuracy. It appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible, both times within prophetic and historical texts that describe divine judgment against human arrogance. In Isaiah 45:21 and II Kings 21:13, the word serves as a vivid metaphor for God’s standard of justice.
In these passages, God declares He will stretch out Jerusalem with the mishqeleth, measuring its line to judge it against His righteous criteria. The imagery suggests that human constructions and moral failures are being weighed against an unyielding, horizontal standard of truth. This rare term highlights a theological point: just as builders rely on precise tools for structural integrity, God uses this instrument to reveal the true alignment—or misalignment—of nations with His will.
The word’s scarcity in Scripture underscores its specific rhetorical power. It does not describe a general measurement but a deliberate act of assessment. By employing this technical term, the biblical authors emphasize that divine judgment is neither arbitrary nor emotional; it is precise, objective, and grounded in a fixed standard of righteousness that transcends human opinion.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word mishqeleth describes a tool used to ensure straightness, like a level or plumb line in construction. In Scripture, God uses this image to show that His judgment is precise and fair, not random. When He measures Jerusalem, He is checking if it aligns with His standard of righteousness.
This reminds us that God’s ways are steady and true. We do not need to fear His assessment because it is rooted in justice. Instead, we can trust that He will always act with perfect fairness, correcting what is crooked and restoring what is broken.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] leveling tool of1×
- <into>/ a leveling tool1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מִשְׁקֹ֖לֶת1×
- לְ/מִשְׁקָ֑לֶת1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 21:13
I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plumb line of Ahab’s house; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
This verse uses the concept of a measuring line to show that God’s judgment on Jerusalem will be as strict and objective as a builder’s tool.
-
Isaiah 28:17
I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
Here, justice itself becomes the measuring line, indicating that God’s standard for right and wrong is fixed and unyielding.